Israel, much like the fortress of Tel-Chai that Jospeh Trumpeldor fought to defend against Arab conquerors in 1920, finds itself beseiged by enemies both within and without. Terrorists, would-be friends inside and outside Israel, and even bad government officials. Here are the discussions of one proud Zionist resident on the state of the nation and abroad.

Saturday, January 18, 2014

Egypt approves a new constitution

A constitution backed by the military and the interim government installed after last year’s coup was approved by 98.1 per cent of Egyptian voters, officials announced on Saturday.

In a televised press briefing, election officials confirmed that 38.6 per cent of eligible voters turned out for the polls in the referendum earlier this week, higher than the 32.9 per cent of voters that turned out for the referendum on a constitution backed by the Muslim Brotherhood and other Islamists ousted in the popularly-backed July coup. Nabil Salib, chairman of the Egypt’s election commission, praised voters and the tens of thousands of security forces who secured the vote.

“Do not worry about Egypt, it has special standing for God,” he said in a speech broadcast on television. “It is mentioned in the Quran, the Bible, and the Torah. Remember the heroes of your army. They have restored hope in our future and protected Egypt.”

Only about 380,000 of 53.4m registered voted against the constitution, reflecting a strident call by the Brotherhood and its supporters to boycott the process, as well as a campaign of harassment and intimidation by security forces against those calling for a ‘no’ vote.

The constitution, drafted by a 50-member panel largely devoid of Islamists and appointed by the military-installed president, Adly Mansour, remains controversial, granting the armed forces broad autonomy and privileges. But it also bolsters rights of religious minorities, women, children and the disabled when compared to the Brotherhood’s constitution.

Now that's something to brighten a day. But I'm honestly irked by Salib's citing the Koran, because it wouldn't approve of what the army's helped to bring about. Though I am flattered he brought up the Bible and Torah in his speech.

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About me

I'm Avi Green

From Jerusalem, Israel

I was born in Pennsylvania in 1974, and moved to Israel in 1983. I also enjoyed reading a lot of comics when I was young, the first being Fantastic Four. I maintain a strong belief in the public's right to knowledge and accuracy in facts. I like to think of myself as a conservative-style version of Clark Kent. I don't expect to be perfect at the job, but I do my best.